1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a photographic light-sensitive material containing a novel coupler and more particularly, it relates to a photographic light-sensitive material containing a novel DIR coupler (Development Inhibitor Releasing Coupler) which is capable of releasing a development inhibitor upon reaction with an oxidation product of a developing agent.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Incorporation of a compound which releases a development inhibitor upon development depending on the density of an image into a photographic light-sensitive material is conventional. Such a compound generally reacts with an oxidation product of a color developing agent and releases a development inhibitor. As a typical example, the so-called DIR coupler in which a group capable of exhibiting development inhibiting effects upon release from the active position is introduced in the active position thereof is known. The DIR coupler not only forms a dye but also releases a development inhibitor upon coupling with an oxidation product of a color developing agent. The compounds described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,227,554, 3,701,783, 3,615,506, 3,617,291, etc., and further the improved compounds thereof such as the couplers in which a triazole ring or a diazole ring is bonded to the coupling position through the nitrogen atom at the 1-position in the triazole or diazole ring as described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 122335/1974 are known as DIR couplers.
As is well known from the above-described patent specifications and the like, a DIR coupler is used for controlling the image tone, reducing the graininess of the image, improving the sharpness of the image due to edge effects, improving color reproduction due to inter-image effects, and the like.
Although the photographic properties are greatly improved with the invention of Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 122335/1974, it is desirable to still further improve these photographic properties.